Abstract:
A different approach to the potential replacement of copper interconnects using carbon nanotubes has been revealed by researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Denser ‘forests' of nanotube clusters have been demonstrated that show better promise of being able to handle high current density, and improved resistance to electromigration than copper.

James Jiam-Qiang Lu, associate professor of physics and electrical engineering at Rensselaer, together with his research associate Zhengchun Liu, decided to investigate how to "densify" carbon nanotube bundles after they are already grown. He detailed the results of the post-growth densification project on June 6 at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' International Interconnect Technology Conference (IITC) in Burlingame, California.